Zoe Agle
A few years ago, when I first saw that healthcare workers were taking to TikTok to dance, lip sync songs, or show viewers what breast implants look like, I felt uneasy. All I could think about is how I would feel as a patient if a doctor walked into my exam room and I recognized them as someone I had just seen “hit the woah” on my TikTok For You Page. How would this affect my view of them? Weren’t doctors and nurses supposed to maintain strict professionalism any time they were in the public eye? Would it impact how much I trusted their medical expertise? After thinking about it more, I have warmed up to the idea of medical professionals on TikTok, especially as I have seen a wider diversity in the content they are creating. I have come to see many of the benefits that doctors and nurses on this platform can have, however things don’t always turn out positively. Much like when deciding how to approach patient care, there are many things health care professionals need to take into account before they post.
The Good:
Posting on TikTok allows healthcare professionals to disseminate important, accurate healthcare information, which can also be curated for young people who make up the majority of TikTok users. For example, Dr. Danielle Jones, an obstetrician-gynecologist, has posted videos about sex education, Dr. Fenwa Milhouse, a urologist, has made TikToks about the need for diversity in medical schools, and Kojo Safro, a nurse practitioner, has done informative skits about mental health. Posting these videos on TikTok democratizes healthcare. In the past, people only had access to this kind of information when they sought it out by going to see their doctor, but now it is put in front of them and they didn’t even have to realize if it was something they needed (Sidransky 2020).
TikTok and other social media platforms also allow healthcare professionals to respond quickly to issues relating to health being brought up in the news, something that is extremely pertinent during the current COVID-19 pandemic (Nguyen et al. 2020). After it was announced in April 2020 that the FDA had authorized the first coronavirus antibody test for emergency use, Dr. Austin Chiang, a gastroenterologist, took to TikTok to explain where antibodies come from and how the test will be helpful.
Having a TikTok presence can also make healthcare workers more approachable. While some people may never feel comfortable as the patient of a doctor or nurse who is prominent on social media, others may appreciate getting to see the more human side of health professionals. Seeing a glimpse of who a doctor or nurse is beyond their career may allow patients to feel more connected to them and more trusting. It can be nice to see what values healthcare workers have (George et al. 2013). Young people may also appreciate being able to see that their doctor is keeping up with what is current (Sidransky 2020).
The Bad:
While there are many benefits to healthcare professionals on TikTok and other social media platforms, there is a lot of room for error. Because of their education and experience, doctors and nurses are trusted by the public. This means they have a duty to ensure that all the information they share on social media is accurate, because viewers will take their word for it. The information must be clear, so there are no misunderstandings that could result in harm. Everything posted on social media will be permanently on the internet even if it is later deleted, therefore every piece of information must be assured to be accurate before posting. Though not on TikTok, Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen, a family medicine doctor, posted a video on YouTube early in the pandemic discussing how you could disinfect your groceries, though the risk of contracting the virus from groceries is very low. One of his recommendations was washing produce with soap, which could be harmful to your digestive system, and he when he discussed leaving your groceries in the garage for a few days before bringing them inside, he failed to mention that this was not safe for perishable items. This goes to show how the smallest bit of misinformation can snowball and result in hundreds or thousands of others making the same mistake (Ohlheiser 2020). Beyond mistakes, there have also been examples of health professionals sharing harmful misinformation with no evidence behind it. An oncology nurse shared a TikTok video in which she bragged about not adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines when off work. She was put on administrative leave in response (Toropin and Kim 2020).
While health professionals joking and making skits on TikTok may be part of the humanization that patients would want to see, there have been instances where patients have been made the butt of the joke. A nurse posted a video seen as mocking patients, in which she imitated a patient’s labored breathing and then danced to the sound. She posted the video with the caption “We know when y’all are faking” (Walker 2019). Posts like these can make patients nervous about being honest with healthcare professionals. Believing that your doctor or nurse will be annoyed with you, or even take to social media to complain, if you breathe heavily, ask
about your pain, etc. may make you less inclined to share the important details they need to know to treat you properly.
Before the Post:
To avoid the mistakes described above and other social media missteps, there are some considerations that every healthcare worker must make before posting on TikTok and other platforms. One is maintaining professionalism. While humanization is a perk of TikTok usage, a balance must be struck between being professional and personal so as to maintain the health professional’s authority and reputation (Ventola 2014). Dr. Chiang carefully screens TikTok challenges and songs before participating himself so as to avoid associating the profession with anything offensive or objectionable (Ohlheiser 2020). Similarly, it is important to retain a professional relationship with followers. This involves keeping the medical advice you give broad, and not addressing individual health questions. In fact, it is a good idea to remind followers every once and awhile that you will not be addressing individual questions and that you discourage them from sharing personal health information with you (Nguyen et al. 2020).
It is also important that health professionals carefully screen information before sharing it, avoid sensationalizing to gain attention, and take extreme caution when working with sponsored products (Nguyen et al. 2020). Mistakes in any of these areas could result in misleading information or encouraging patients to buy products with unrealistic expectations. Before posting, healthcare workers should also have a good understanding of their employer's rules and regulations regarding social media to help them avoid unexpected sanctions at work because of their social media presence. To protect patients, health professionals must also be acutely aware of the patient privacy laws laid out by HIPAA to avoid any breaches of privacy that would then be on the internet forever and result in serious legal repercussions for the healthcare worker (Nguyen et al. 2020).
If a doctor or nurse wants to take to TikTok or another social media platform to talk about healthcare, react to health news, or do some dances, they must think critically about all these considerations before doing so. With a good understanding of their own position as a trusted health professional and the repercussions of their social media presence, they should be able to have a successful, informative, and fun social media presence.
Sources:
George DR, Rovniak LS, Kraschnewski JL. 2013. Dangers and opportunities for social media in medicine. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 56(3):doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e318297dc38.
Nguyen B, Lu E, Bhuyan N, Lin K, Sevilla M. 2020. Social Media for Doctors: Taking Professional and Patient Engagement to the Next Level. FPM Journal. Jan/Feb 2020:19-24.
Ohlheiser A. 2020. Doctors are now social-media influencers. They aren’t all ready for it [Internet]. Cambridge (MA): MIT Technology Review; [cited 2021 Feb 10]. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/26/1000602/covid-coronavirus doctors-tiktok-youtube-misinformation-pandemic/
Sidransky A. 2020. “Dissolving This Wall”: Exploring the Medical Side of TikTok [Internet]. Hartford (CT): Yale University; [cited 2021 Feb 10]. Available from
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/10/08/dissolving-this-wall-exploring-the-medical-s de-of-tiktok/
Toropin K, Kim A. 2020. A nurse who bragged about breaking Covid-19 rules on TikTok has
lost her job [Internet]. Atlanta (GA): Cable News Network; [cited 2021 Feb 10]. Available from
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/08/us/oregon-nurse-tik-tok-trnd/index.html
Ventola CL. 2014. Social Media and Health Care Professionals: Benefits, Risks, and Best Practices. Pharm. Ther. 39(7)491-520.
Walker H. 2019. A Lot of Medical Providers Think They “Know When Y’all are Faking” [Internet]. Brooklyn (NY): Vice Media; [cited 2021 Feb 10]. Available from https://www.vice.com/en/article/8xwybx/we-know-when-yall-are-faking-tiktok-video
Image:
Feyissa S. 2020. TikTok [Internet]. United States: Flickr; [cited 2021 Feb 9]. Available from https://www.flickr.com/photos/solen-feyissa/50179272367/
The Good:
Posting on TikTok allows healthcare professionals to disseminate important, accurate healthcare information, which can also be curated for young people who make up the majority of TikTok users. For example, Dr. Danielle Jones, an obstetrician-gynecologist, has posted videos about sex education, Dr. Fenwa Milhouse, a urologist, has made TikToks about the need for diversity in medical schools, and Kojo Safro, a nurse practitioner, has done informative skits about mental health. Posting these videos on TikTok democratizes healthcare. In the past, people only had access to this kind of information when they sought it out by going to see their doctor, but now it is put in front of them and they didn’t even have to realize if it was something they needed (Sidransky 2020).
TikTok and other social media platforms also allow healthcare professionals to respond quickly to issues relating to health being brought up in the news, something that is extremely pertinent during the current COVID-19 pandemic (Nguyen et al. 2020). After it was announced in April 2020 that the FDA had authorized the first coronavirus antibody test for emergency use, Dr. Austin Chiang, a gastroenterologist, took to TikTok to explain where antibodies come from and how the test will be helpful.
Having a TikTok presence can also make healthcare workers more approachable. While some people may never feel comfortable as the patient of a doctor or nurse who is prominent on social media, others may appreciate getting to see the more human side of health professionals. Seeing a glimpse of who a doctor or nurse is beyond their career may allow patients to feel more connected to them and more trusting. It can be nice to see what values healthcare workers have (George et al. 2013). Young people may also appreciate being able to see that their doctor is keeping up with what is current (Sidransky 2020).
The Bad:
While there are many benefits to healthcare professionals on TikTok and other social media platforms, there is a lot of room for error. Because of their education and experience, doctors and nurses are trusted by the public. This means they have a duty to ensure that all the information they share on social media is accurate, because viewers will take their word for it. The information must be clear, so there are no misunderstandings that could result in harm. Everything posted on social media will be permanently on the internet even if it is later deleted, therefore every piece of information must be assured to be accurate before posting. Though not on TikTok, Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen, a family medicine doctor, posted a video on YouTube early in the pandemic discussing how you could disinfect your groceries, though the risk of contracting the virus from groceries is very low. One of his recommendations was washing produce with soap, which could be harmful to your digestive system, and he when he discussed leaving your groceries in the garage for a few days before bringing them inside, he failed to mention that this was not safe for perishable items. This goes to show how the smallest bit of misinformation can snowball and result in hundreds or thousands of others making the same mistake (Ohlheiser 2020). Beyond mistakes, there have also been examples of health professionals sharing harmful misinformation with no evidence behind it. An oncology nurse shared a TikTok video in which she bragged about not adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines when off work. She was put on administrative leave in response (Toropin and Kim 2020).
While health professionals joking and making skits on TikTok may be part of the humanization that patients would want to see, there have been instances where patients have been made the butt of the joke. A nurse posted a video seen as mocking patients, in which she imitated a patient’s labored breathing and then danced to the sound. She posted the video with the caption “We know when y’all are faking” (Walker 2019). Posts like these can make patients nervous about being honest with healthcare professionals. Believing that your doctor or nurse will be annoyed with you, or even take to social media to complain, if you breathe heavily, ask
about your pain, etc. may make you less inclined to share the important details they need to know to treat you properly.
Before the Post:
To avoid the mistakes described above and other social media missteps, there are some considerations that every healthcare worker must make before posting on TikTok and other platforms. One is maintaining professionalism. While humanization is a perk of TikTok usage, a balance must be struck between being professional and personal so as to maintain the health professional’s authority and reputation (Ventola 2014). Dr. Chiang carefully screens TikTok challenges and songs before participating himself so as to avoid associating the profession with anything offensive or objectionable (Ohlheiser 2020). Similarly, it is important to retain a professional relationship with followers. This involves keeping the medical advice you give broad, and not addressing individual health questions. In fact, it is a good idea to remind followers every once and awhile that you will not be addressing individual questions and that you discourage them from sharing personal health information with you (Nguyen et al. 2020).
It is also important that health professionals carefully screen information before sharing it, avoid sensationalizing to gain attention, and take extreme caution when working with sponsored products (Nguyen et al. 2020). Mistakes in any of these areas could result in misleading information or encouraging patients to buy products with unrealistic expectations. Before posting, healthcare workers should also have a good understanding of their employer's rules and regulations regarding social media to help them avoid unexpected sanctions at work because of their social media presence. To protect patients, health professionals must also be acutely aware of the patient privacy laws laid out by HIPAA to avoid any breaches of privacy that would then be on the internet forever and result in serious legal repercussions for the healthcare worker (Nguyen et al. 2020).
If a doctor or nurse wants to take to TikTok or another social media platform to talk about healthcare, react to health news, or do some dances, they must think critically about all these considerations before doing so. With a good understanding of their own position as a trusted health professional and the repercussions of their social media presence, they should be able to have a successful, informative, and fun social media presence.
Sources:
George DR, Rovniak LS, Kraschnewski JL. 2013. Dangers and opportunities for social media in medicine. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 56(3):doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e318297dc38.
Nguyen B, Lu E, Bhuyan N, Lin K, Sevilla M. 2020. Social Media for Doctors: Taking Professional and Patient Engagement to the Next Level. FPM Journal. Jan/Feb 2020:19-24.
Ohlheiser A. 2020. Doctors are now social-media influencers. They aren’t all ready for it [Internet]. Cambridge (MA): MIT Technology Review; [cited 2021 Feb 10]. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/26/1000602/covid-coronavirus doctors-tiktok-youtube-misinformation-pandemic/
Sidransky A. 2020. “Dissolving This Wall”: Exploring the Medical Side of TikTok [Internet]. Hartford (CT): Yale University; [cited 2021 Feb 10]. Available from
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/10/08/dissolving-this-wall-exploring-the-medical-s de-of-tiktok/
Toropin K, Kim A. 2020. A nurse who bragged about breaking Covid-19 rules on TikTok has
lost her job [Internet]. Atlanta (GA): Cable News Network; [cited 2021 Feb 10]. Available from
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/08/us/oregon-nurse-tik-tok-trnd/index.html
Ventola CL. 2014. Social Media and Health Care Professionals: Benefits, Risks, and Best Practices. Pharm. Ther. 39(7)491-520.
Walker H. 2019. A Lot of Medical Providers Think They “Know When Y’all are Faking” [Internet]. Brooklyn (NY): Vice Media; [cited 2021 Feb 10]. Available from https://www.vice.com/en/article/8xwybx/we-know-when-yall-are-faking-tiktok-video
Image:
Feyissa S. 2020. TikTok [Internet]. United States: Flickr; [cited 2021 Feb 9]. Available from https://www.flickr.com/photos/solen-feyissa/50179272367/
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